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Gossip: Berahino to Toon, Long to Liverpool

Date published: Monday 18th January 2016 9:50

BERAHINO TO THE TOON?Well, well. Three days after Leicester were linked with Saido Berahino, the Daily Mail – in a story billed as ‘exclusive’ – are claiming that Newcastle are planning an £18m move for Saido Berahino. So after all that talk of Tottenham and Manchester United, the striker may end up moving to a club further down the Premier League. Saying that, it would undoubtedly be a positive move for Berahino to join a bigger club and play for a manager who thinks he is something other than a pain in the backside.

Elsewhere, the Evening Standard claim that Newcastle will keep plugging away in their efforts to sign Andros Townsend, even if it means they end up meeting Tottenham’s £14m valuation for the England winger. Newcastle really don’t want to go down.

WHY THE LONG CHASE?Liverpool’s scouts really aren’t very imaginative. Their only port of call appears to be St Mary’s on a Saturday afternoon. That is the only possible explanation for the fact that they are after Shane Long.

After signing Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert over the past two summers, Jurgen Klopp is eager to add Shane Long to his collection of Southampton players. Let’s not forget Steven Caulker, who ended his loan at Saints to join the Reds until the end of the season.

According to the Daily Mirror, Liverpool have had an £8million bid rejected for Long. Southampton added Charlie Austin to their striking ranks at the weekend in a £4million move from QPR, but it’s thought that he will be replacing the outgoing Graziano Pelle, not the Republic of Ireland international.

Considering Caulker is Liverpool’s current third-choice striking option, a move for Long does make sense. Some sense. Doesn’t it? He is an actual striker. But an actual striker who has scored 38 goals in 192 Premier League appearances. Did somebody say ‘stopgap’?

Saints signed Long from Hull for £12million in summer 2014, and Hull had bought him for £7million the January beforehand. They signed him from West Brom, whom he joined from Reading for £6.5million. That’s all mental.

COME HOME, DIEGOAtletico Madrid want Diego Costa back. That’s the line from Fichajes.net, so it must be imminent.

The Spanish bullsh*t merchants claim that Atletico will make a move for the Chelsea striker this January, which makes sense considering Atletico’s ban from registering players over the next two transfer windows. Fichajes say a loan deal could be in the offing, but that would benefit no-one. Atletico get (half a) striker for half a season, Costa gets a move away from Chelsea only until the summer, and Chelsea loan out their best striker until the end of the season, with no discernible reward.

The rumour centres once again around Costa’s apparent unhappiness in the capital. The claim is that while Costa had a ‘very bad’ relationship with former manager Jose Mourinho, ‘there is no feeling’ with interim boss Guus Hiddink. Ouch.

For what it’s worth, Costa has scored five goals in five games under Hiddink’s management; he scored four in 21 games under Mourinho this season. All is not well, but it’s fine for now. He’ll probably stay until the summer, then Chelsea will ship him off and sign another sh*thouse.

Costa picked up an injury in the 3-3 draw with Everton on Saturday, and that could have a lasting impact on January for the Blues. Chelsea have no idea when Costa will return, leaving Loic Remy as their only fit striker. The Frenchman had designs on leaving this month, but it seems as though he will now stay.

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Remy is considering a lucrative move to China. The problem is that Chelsea are unlikely to sell if it means that Alexandre Pato, with whom they still hold an interest, would be left as their only fit striker.

More on Pato, who has been offered to Newcastle, according to the Chronicle of that vast, shirtless city. The Magpies have also been offered Bafetimbi Gomis, who they almost signed before he joined Swansea in summer 2014. The South Wales Evening Post adds that Swansea are unlikely to let Gomis go to Newcastle as they are unwilling to sell to a relegation rival. Poor Jonjo Shelvey.

AND THE RESTChelsea have beaten Manchester United to highly-rated Ajax prospect Juan Familia Castillo, 16…Everton are ready to enter the transfer market after Steven Naismith agreed to join Norwich City, with Derby midfielder Will Hughes and Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko targets…Norwich City are set to sign Naismith and Wolfsburg defender Timm Klosse – but Alex Neil will be handed more cash to buy a striker…Watford expect to tie up a club record £6.7million deal for Moroccan winger Nordin Amrabat in the next 24 hours…Leicester City are hopeful of sealing a deal for Copenhagen’s Daniel Amartey by the end of the week.